Support to SP to avoid communal parties from gaining: Congress

Terming SP "equally dangerous" as the BJP and BSP, Congress in Uttar Pradesh said it was supporting SP in the Legislative Council elections in order to avoid communal parties taking gains through horse-trading.

Lucknow: Terming SP "equally dangerous" as the BJP and BSP, Congress in Uttar Pradesh said it was supporting SP in the Legislative Council elections in order to avoid communal parties taking gains through horse-trading.

State Congress president Nirmal Khatri said that BJP had made it known that they would be fielding two candidates (though they have the strength to see through only one smoothly).

"We did not want to give the communal parties a chance of horse-trading and so the decision to support the SP was taken keeping the immediate need in mind," he said.

The whip in this regard has been issued and a meeting of party legislators would be held on January 22, a day prior to polling.

"Congress believes that besides the BJP, BSP and Samajwadi Party are equally dangerous for Congress and though we are supporting the SP in the (Vidhan) parishad elections, it should not be linked to any future (of the two parties together)" he said.

"We do not have the sufficient number on our own for our nominee," he pointed out and added that his party would continue to tread alone in the state and improve its future.

The UPCC president who was briefing newspersons after a meeting of senior party leaders here, said that it has emerged in the meeting that the party should now come into an agitational mode in the state as there were a number of issues, both against the state and central government.

"We are working out the strategy for the agitation as we want it to have an impact and not just remain a symbolic one," he said, adding that party would stage protests against the anti-people ordinance on land acquisition, starting with 'Kisan Panchayat' in Bulandshahr on January 21.

Party leaders have been asked to visit 1-2 districts each to discuss with workers on how to strengthen the party, Khatri added.